


Empathy {NCT Self-made AU}

by toxic_social



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-11 08:22:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20543042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxic_social/pseuds/toxic_social
Summary: Sm University is known for its high status, for the famous, for the rich, and for one last little thing. The infamous group known as NCT.And Park Jisung just got dragged into their mess.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> First fanfic in quite some time...and it's finally here. 
> 
> I really hope ya'll like this- its a self made alternate universe for NCT, as I'm sure you guys can see- and here it is! 
> 
> Comment and vote- it always makes a writer more motivated!
> 
> Concept: 
> 
> Jisung Park applied for SM Uni. Jisung Park got in to SM Uni. And now, Jisung Park is getting in to a huge mess. A mess he fell into when he met you. This isn't the mess you can clean up, no, this mess, is NCT. 
> 
> Writer, creator of AU: toxic.lightness, AKA Toxic

“Excuse me?” You turned around, whipping your head frantically to the unfamiliar voice. Usually a girl wasn’t supposed to hear an unfamiliar voice in an alley like this.

The alley was always clear, safe, unless the drunkards came along, and when they did, you knew when to run. But this voice wasn’t one of the drunkards. This was the voice of someone young. A male.

So you did what you knew and…ran. The footsteps followed, but they sounded light, as if the pursuer was jumping light-footedly. You knew these footsteps. Well, not exactly. You knew what footsteps like this meant. A dancer. The light treads were a sound you heard everyday, a sound you were familiar with it, and in that small hesitation, the pursuer caught up.

He grabbed your hand, causing you to flick your wrist in an attempt to pull away, only causing you to fail miserably and turn towards him. Unlike most males you met with (most from university), you didn’t have to look up at him. You weren’t short, but neither was he. He met your eyes, and you met his. It was a perfect level.

Speaking of perfect, that’s exactly what he seemed to be. Flawless fair skin, arched thinly lidded asian eyes (which were quite common here in Seoul), ruffled fluffy silvery purple hair, plump lips, the boy had it all. He didn’t pant, which you were after the run, he just gave a sheepish smile letting go of your hand (which you cradled cause DAMN was his grip fine), and he spoke again, opening his mouth as he spoke in a charmingly deep voice.

“Do you go to SM Uni?” Ah yes, your university. Freshman, you figured, seeing how shyly he stood. 

Giving a nod, still cradling your poor hand, you watched his smile brighten. He straightened his back and opened his pretty mouth again to ask another question. And then he said your name. 

Watching your shocked face he began to stutter, looking flustered. “I-i’m a freshman h-here. I was told she’s going to t-tour me?”

Oh. So that was it. Wait. No. It couldn’t be. Un-crumpling a paper you had held fast onto during the run with your un-“injured” hand, you felt yourself gasp. 

“Park Jisung?” He nodded. 

No effing way. It couldn’t be him. Glancing at the paper in your hand, you squinted at the small picture of Jisung. Here his hair was slightly longer, and it was black. He seemed much smaller, younger, but he was the same person alright. 

“So, the person I’m looking for is you?” He asked again, his tone kind and calm. You gave a soft nod, trying to reply verbally, but obviously, words failed.

This new boy who found you in an alley, need I remind a very good-looking new boy, was the one you were in charge of showing around? Heck yeah. 

Of course you can't forget the fact that he might be an absolute weirdo, I mean, he grabbed an unknown girl’s hand in an abandoned alley, AS SHE RAN AWAY FROM HIM. That was shady behavior at the least. His laptop bag and little SM University logo stitched on his shirt definitely gave off the “I go to college here” vibe. You can never be too sure though. But at least for now, you thought it was okay to trust him.


	2. Part 2

“You got it?” It was a little hard to be strict with such an adorable boy.   
He gave a giddy smile, nodding along. “So I give you a call or text with this number,” he held up his phone, waving it around, “if I need any help with anything.”  
Holding up a scolding finger, Jisung giggled, running hand through his hair. “But only call you if it’s really important.   
Unable to hide a smile, you felt yourself give in, “And if I don’t pick up- its because I’m either asleep or because I’m busy.”   
He smiled when you added, “I’ll make sure to get back to you if it does happen.”   
You didn’t have much time to react to him, as an arm was slung around your neck, and a finger was hooped through your belt loop. Two figures stood by your side, clad in black varsity jackets. They weren’t the school colors, which were pink and white, instead, they were black- with a heavy rainbow on the sleeves and collar. Both jackets had patches on each side of the chest. One patch was the same on both men, and read in elongated white letters, “NCT.”  
“So this is who you’ve kept yourself busy with,” one of them singsonged to you.   
The left patch was different. The taller one’s read Johnny. And the other’s, Ten. Johnny leaned down, pressing his face gently into your hair, and Ten glanced at Jisung.   
The blue haired boy stood awkwardly in front of you three, not sure what to do. You struggled to get out of the two other’s grips, kicking Johnny in the knee and pushing away from Ten. Finding your way next to the freshman, Jisung gave you a worried look, asking if you were okay as the other two recovered.   
You gave firm nods to his questions, but you yourself were distracted. Ten had your backpack. Jisung seemed to notice this as well, but something else seemed to catch his eye. T  
The back of their jackets had the same elongated font their patches had, but in rainbow, and the word went across the width of their shoulders. EMPATHY. And below came the same three letters the boy had noticed on one of the patches before, NCT.   
You seemed to notice the boy’s interest for the two men, and grabbed his wrist, pulling him away.   
“Hey!” Ten called out from behind, still standing in the same spot, helping Johnny up. He tossed you the backpack, which made you wince from the impact. Johnny gave a small salute, and swung a key around. Your key to be specific.   
“We just need this one thing- I’ll return it later! Thanks bae!” Ten laughed, dragging Johnny off with him.   
Jisung gave you a questioning look, which you took as a ‘they just stole your keys and ran are you okay?’ type of look. Giving a depleted sigh and a weak smile, you brought yourself to respond to the blue haired freshman.  
“They’re classmates of mine,” you said, tucking in a piece of something that had slipped out of the backpack. “The key was for a-“ pausing, you looked at the boy, “project,” you finished. Jisung nodded slowly, as if he didn’t understand.   
“But why would they- if they were your classmates- attack?” He stuttered, confused. He shook it off, noticing your hand still on his. You pulled away, noticing as well, laughing to hide your own embarrassment.   
“How about I explain to you what the jackets mean?”


	3. Part 3

~You~  
After the encounter, the two of you ended up sitting on a sturdy little bench in the shade. You pulled out your water bottle, taking a long draw before looking at Jisung, who was sitting expectantly across you to hear the story behind the black jackets.   
“So-“ he said, his dark eyes boring into yours, “the guys in the black jackets.” You nodded, swallowing your water.  
“Right.” You said, putting on your story teller face (which you barely used) and gave a smile.   
“NCT. They’re kinda famous here at SM. Well, infamous would be a better word. As you can probably tell,” you waved a hand around, “Everyone here is pretty lucky to be here. Only for the best of the best.” You quoted the last part, using your fingers as little quotes. “Now, NCT, which is told to stand for Neo Culture Technology, has eighteen people. Seventeen of them, all men, wear these jackets, proof that they’re part of this group. Many people here think NCT is a cult of some sort.”   
You snort at the thought, intertwining your fingers together and propping your head on them. “But from what they show of themselves, all NCT is just a bunch of people, of high status and good looks, some who worked their way into the university, some who won in through family. They get together and do what they want, not always what they Major in. But from what I’ve seen, that doesn’t mean they don’t like what they Major in. One of them is,” you paused, looking around.  
Leaning towards Jisung, lowering your voice in suspense, you let the boy lean closer before continuing. “Lee Taeyong.” you whispered, giving a suspicious smile, and Jisung raised his eyebrows in curiosity. “I spend a lot of time with him, he Majors in the same as me, he’s just one trimester ahead.” You clarified this so that the boy didn’t get any weird ideas. “But, it just so happens to be that the same Taeyong is the leader of said group.”  
Jisung’s lips parted in a small gasp, causing you to giggle. Bringing your voice back to its regular level, you leaned back. “It’s not much of a secret. Everyone here already knows. As you can probably already tell, the NCT members don’t really hide themselves. All but one. The eighteenth member. She’s also known as the only female member. She wears a mask, and has a black hoodie under the jacket which she covers her head with. She’s occasionally seen with a white baseball hat, and from what people have seen, her hair is dyed purple. The NCT members refer to her as their manager, but her name is never revealed, and neither is her face.”  
Jisung pursed his lips, nodding along, furrowing his brows. “How do you know all of this about them?”   
Giving a small laugh, you pulled out your phone. “See this?” You showed him a video channel. “This is the official NCT channel. They post videos and sometimes even do live videos of what they do. Sometimes it’ll be of their dances, since most of them are dancers, and some are of singing, since some of the members have amazing voices. And sometimes, it’ll just be of their life in the club. I just happen to watch a lot about them.”   
The blue haired boy nodded. “And how does someone join them?” No no no. That was never a good question.  
“They might sound great, but they’re also feared. If you, a freshman joined, it might as well ruin a good college experience,” you warned him, and thankfully, he nodded along. Still feeling up to satisfying his question you quickly added, “None of the members really talk about how they join, but from the rumors I’ve heard, they say its the manager who comes to you, seeking you. And if you don’t accept,” you mimicked shudder, “it’s almost like suicide.”


	4. Part 4

~You~  
It had been a day since you had seen the freshman you were in charge of taking care of. You both Majored in different things, so seeing him around campus was already unlikely. Keeping yourself busy with the paper in front, you doodled, bored out of your mind.   
The trimester had only started a couple days ago, making it your ninth here. It was a little hard to believe that you were beginning your third year at SM. Every year, the juniors were given one freshman to take care of, meaning, one freshman to watch over and help when they were in need.   
Your phone rang, and, speaking of the devil, it was Jisung. Glad to have someone to talk to instead of mutter incoherently at your unfinished homework, you picked up, gently pressing the screen to your ear.  
He called out your name, and you responded respectfully, “Yes Jisung?” You could hear the boy anxiously giggle from across the line.   
“Can we meet today? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.” You pretended to check your schedule, flipping through a book exaggeratedly so that even he could hear it.   
“I should be free later today evening? Does six work?” Flapping pages could be heard from the other line, and Jisung responded with the same formal tone you were using.  
“Yes it does.” His tone caused you to laugh, and he let you finish before he giddily adding the place where he wanted to meet, saying happily that he looked forward to seeing you. Ending the call shortly after, you glanced up at the clock. It read 4:10. You still had time.  
Thinking back to the conversation you had about NCT, you leaned back on your desk chair, wondering why a freshman had so much interest in such a group. Knowing you had your own club to manage that night, you began packing everything into your bag. Slipping in a notebook, you got up, looking into the full-length mirror across from your bed.  
You looked like an actual mess. You were always like this, kept together and pretty when in public or outside, but at home- when there wasn’t anyone to impress (thank god you didn’t have roommates) you were in oversized t-shirt and sweatpants or something of the sort.  
Bringing yourself to change into something less disgusting, you ended up wearing a white jeans, pairing it with a baggy black hoodie. Putting on some hooked earrings, you felt yourself yawn. It was never too early for a nap. Flopping onto your bed, pulling a heavy comforter over your tired body, you began to doze off, forgetting that you had somewhere to be in a little less then 2 hours.  
Waking up to a familiar song was always amazing. Well it would’ve been if it wasn’t your ringtone. Jisung. Crap. Rushing up, fixing your hair as you went, grabbing the backpack as you ran to the entrance, you picked up, apologizing rapidly to the boy across the line. He waved it off kindly, in return just asking how far you were.  
Luckily you didn’t live far from the cafe he’d requested, and you were able to get there within fifteen minutes. Entering the cafe, you let the coffee smell wash over you. This place had always been a favorite of yours, the sugary smell of the baked goods mixed with the bittersweet smell of warm coffee and chocolate was comforting.   
Blue hair catching your eye, you sat down across from Jisung, apologizing again to the poor freshman. Covering your face in embarrassment, you peeked through, watching him watch in amusement. This wasn’t right. He was he younger one here, not you. Straightening up, you glanced at him, asking what he had needed.  
He gave a smirk (which was absolutely charming) and leaned forward, just as you’d done before.   
“I was just curious,” he said, erasing his smirk and going for a more innocent look. “How long have you been the manager of NCT?”


End file.
